The Mercedes-Benz"Kurzhauber" (short-bonnet) truck is a conventional layout, cab-after-engine truck manufactured from 1959. In Germany it is most commonly referred to as the Kurzhauber (for "short bonnet"). The engine intruded into the cabin underneath the windshield, all in the name of making a shorter truck to meet the strict period German regulations on overall length. The short-bonnet truck was built in many countries and remains in service throughout many of the regions to which it was exported.
The first short-bonnet truck model, the Mercedes-Benz L 337, was first produced in Germany in 1959. Its technical successors were in production for export until 1995, long after domestic German sales had ended. The short-bonnet truck was a big export success for Mercedes-Benz and became very popular in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South America, and Africa.
